Unseen Chaos
by perseverance-n
Summary: Noctis Lucis Caelum's roadtrip is expected to be an easy one -to wed Lunafreya Nox Fleuret and bring peace to his kingdom- but an overwhelming amount of events is added to the mix. With the world crumbling around him, Noctis has to devise a way to take back his kingdom. Only he never expects to get help from an outside source, Serah Farron, or the feelings she stirs within him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Since I started playing Final Fantasy XV, I can't help but see the similarities this game has to Final Fantasy XIII -with the crystal, the gods and the power bestowed on those chosen by the gods. So yep, I took a challenge. I am writing a crossover between FFXV and FFXIII-2. Why? Well, if you're familiar with both stories, then you know (SPOILERS ALERT) that they don't end with happily ever after.

And that's where this challenge comes in. How I connect both worlds? Simple. I am including two characters who will be the main ones that shares the same destinies but in different ways. Now, I understand not all of you will agree with the pairing I have in mind for this story, Noctis/Serah. But from their main story lines, it seems like their love stories were doom to fail. And I have nothing against Luna or Snow, it's all me. I ship pairings that are impossible. Also, considering Serah's position with her ability to change timelines, I decided to extend it with worlds. So please do read with an open mind and I will try my best as a writer to portray both characters in this story. Thanks.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy XV or Final Fantasy XIII-2. I am only writing this fanfiction for the fun of it.

 **Warning:** Some AU for both games (FFXV and FFXIII-2) to accommodate for this story, some OOC and Spoiler Alerts.

 _ **Please leave no flames.**_

* * *

 _Etro granted the most selfless of gifts. Her power and strength flowed through the Unseen World, and with each passing second she grew weaker and weaker._

 _Now the goddess sleeps within the Heart of Chaos. Should she cease to exist, then the power she granted to humanity, the power that makes their universe whole, will disappear. When the sands run out on the goddess, so too do they on the world of man._

 _ **Yuel's Confession**_

OoO

It had been a long time since Noctis Lucis Caelum smelled the salty aroma on a beach. The fact was the young prince of Insomnia lived a sheltered life and when he had the chance to escape from the luxurious confines of his home, he found infinite pleasure being around open water. He inhaled deeply and the combination of drenched wood, fog, and seaweed filtered his nose. The smells sharply contrasted from the smells of chamomile and flowery fragrance of his home.

"As soon as we cross over Galdin Quay we should arrive at Altissia, your highness," one of the men dressed in black informed him. He was one of the escorts that accompanied him everywhere. Like many times, Noctis didn't want a reminder that he was a prince. He wanted to know how life was like outside the palace walls. He wanted to know the life of a commoner. Again, the fact that he distinguished the lifestyles between royalty and commoner being one so young was not what someone who served the crown would expect. To others, Noctis appeared to be a fragile, innocent and a curious boy. He was the only son and heir to the throne of Insomnia.

But he was wise enough to know he was being treated differently. The men dressed in black suits, his bodyguards, had escorted him out of Insomnia on a long road trip to Vannath Coast. He overheard them saying that he was going to stay a few days in Altissia with the Fleuret family, a royal family of Tenebrae. He had to wonder why they were staying in Altissia instead of Tenebrae but the prospect left his mind at the gray haze that covered everything. How could anyone see well enough in such a thick fog?

"Please do well to remember not to wander about, your highness. There are many monsters lurking around on the beach," the man warned him.

Noctis' only response was to tilt his head.

When the bodyguard didn't add anything, Noctis turned his attention to the sky. All he could make were dark shadows beyond the fog. His mood turned gray as he wanted a chance to inspect the fish on Galdin Quay. According to his geographical study, Gladin Quay was known to have some of the best fishes to make fine dishes.

Darker shadows moved in front of him. He blinked his blue eyes before rubbing them with his fingers. When his vision cleared, the shadows grew bigger on the sand. He found himself stepping back, footstep after another. Even now, his imagination wanted to believe that the quickly moving dark spots in gray mist weren't mere shadows, but animals stalking its prey.

"Prince!"

"Your highness!"

Could the voices calling him get any louder? He turned around, expecting to see one of his many bodyguards. Instead, he saw no one. Somehow, he got lost.

"Prince Noctis!"

His hands cupped his mouth as he inhaled a deep breath. He was about to yell when he heard splashes of water and light laughter that reminded of wind chimes. His head whipped to the direction of the sound and the sinister shadows that seemed to follow him were gone. The fog cleared up to reveal a young girl with long wavy hair of the strangest color, a rosy pink, like the roses that grew in his garden. She wore a yellow summer dress and white sandals as she knelt on her knees in the wet sand. She was playing with sand as one of the waves crashed ashore. The strange girl didn't notice him.

"Uh… hello," he replied nervously. He rubbed his hands on his black shirt. He found his heartbeat was pumping a little too loudly in his ears.

The pink haired girl turned to him and his breath caught in his throat. Dark blue eyes twinkled at him under pink bangs. Bright pink lips twisted into a small smile. Noctis had seen many females around the palace. Although he didn't hang out with girls, he seen them on the streets of Insomnia when he had the chance to venture outside but he had never come across any of them like the girl who rose fluidly on her feet. Small hands clasped behind her back as she studied him with a friendly expression on her face.

"Hello," she replied.

He looked around her, hoping to see an adult. When he noticed she was alone on the beach like him, he couldn't help the frown that displayed on his face.

"Is something wrong?" she questioned. The smile disappeared from her face. The sparkle in her dark blue eyes dimmed and Noctis felt the urge to make her smile again.

He frowned even more.

The girl looked around her for a second before turning her attention to him. "I'm sorry," she suddenly apologized.

He blinked his eyes. Why was she apologizing?

"I thought I was alone on the beach. It's not every day I get a chance to see the real deal." A wave crashed ashore and the girl turned her back to him to view how the sunlight reflected on the water.

Then her words hit him. They had something in common. Like him, she didn't get to see the beach often.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, because he was curious to learn more about the pink haired girl he just met.

"I heard stories about beaches like how the water is a deep blue like the sky, or like how the sand differs from the soil that grows plants, or like how the water tastes like salt…."

He frowned even more if possible. "You sound like there are no beaches where you come from."

"There are a couple of manmade beaches but not real like this one." There was a hint of sadness in her voice and Noctis discovered he didn't like hearing it from her nor did he not like being able to see her face.

Lightly, he approached the girl until he was standing next to her. "Manmade beaches or not, at least you get to see one."

"Yeah, but nature is not something we find easily where I come from."

"And where do you come from?" He watched her from his peripheral vision, yet he tilted his head so that his raven bangs concealed his eyes.

"A place you might not know about."

That was a bizarre statement. Noctis attended most of his lessons and part of his daily drilling was knowing the geographic locations of different places outside his homeland. In fact, he excelled in geography. There was a good chance he heard about the place she lived in.

"Where do you come from?"

A small smile twisted on her lips. His heart began to pound louder. He averted his gaze as he felt his cheeks heat up. "You won't know it."

"I know my geography," he found himself saying, which was out of his norm. He whipped his head to her and saw her smile blossomed into laughter. He watched fascinated as she tried to cover her mirth behind her hands. "What?"

"It's not you. It's what you said."

"I didn't…."

Suddenly, she took a hold of his hand. He stilled. "Believe me when I say you won't know where I'm from."

His forehead crinkled. "Why?" He wanted to tell her that he was a prince and he knew a lot of things about his homeland yet a part of him liked how she didn't recognize him as royalty like how many other people knew from a glance. It made their conversation different. She was different.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

All of a sudden, he felt wary and he started to look around them to see if he was in danger, if she was in danger. How long have they been alone? Someone should have stumbled upon them by now.

He swallowed nervously. "Sure."

She turned her body until she fully faced him. His eyes widened as he finally got to view the full image of her. She was breathtakingly beautiful as the sunlight casted shadows along the delicate peaks of her face. Her eyes lowered until the pink lashes dusted against her fair skin.

"I'm not exactly from this world."

His jaw dropped. Was she kidding?

Then her eyelashes fluttered upward and he saw the seriousness on her small face. "I'm from a different world."

His mouth began to move but he couldn't utter a word.

"I was sleeping when I saw flashes of this world. Somehow, I found a way to travel into this world. It's so different from Cocoon."

"Cocoon?" he echoed the word.

"It's where I'm from."

His forehead creased. The girl let go of his hand. His fingers flinched. "See? I told you didn't hear it."

He didn't know what else to say so he stuck with, "How?"

Another wave crashed ashore. The girl looked away. "I don't know."

There it was again, a hint of melancholy. She didn't deserve to feel hurt or confused.

"Well, we get to meet," he said, trying to cheer her up. His fingers wiggled as he realized he missed her warmth.

"Yeah, we do." She turned to him and the sparkle returned in her eyes.

"Noctis!" a familiar voice called to him. He swiveled on his feet to the sound. He brightly smiled at someone finally finding them. It took his bodyguards long enough.

He was about to face the pink haired girl when he saw shadows from earlier move around him. His eyes darted to small form in front of him. The black inkiness surrounded her form as a sad expression filtered her pretty face. Before meeting her, he was frightened of the darkness. Now, he quickly closed the distance between them. His fingers enclosed her wrist before he began to pull her away from it.

"Prince!" He was running toward the voice or at least trying to move toward it. Only he felt like he was pulling air.

He craned his head over his shoulder to see the girl's form winking in the darkness until it vanished from sight. Her words, a slight echo to a testament of her being real, said an apology. "I'm sorry, Noct."

And then he woke up in the Regalia, his luxurious black car, to discover it broke down. His three close friends and companions on his road trip to wed his bride and childhood friend, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, were arguing on whose fault it was for the breakdown of the car. He just yawned while stretching his arms in the air.

"And your sleepy highness finally wakes up from his long nap," his chauffeur/cook/caretaker told him. Ignis was really his adviser but he did more than his duties as to personally running everything for him.

"Yeah. How was it? Did you have a good dream?" Galdio, his main bodyguard questioned him. It was Gladio's sworn duty to protect him like how his father protected the king of Insomnia.

Noctis turned his head away. He got a view of greenery along the hillsides. Some monsters were roaming freely on the roadsides. As long as he and his friends didn't engage to battle them, they were okay.

"Aww…. Noct must've had a nice dream for him to be unable to answer the question," Prompto quipped in.

Noctis turned a deadpanned expression to his long-time friend since high school. Automatically, Prompto waved his hands in the air. "You know I didn't mean it the way you interpret it."

"And just how did he interpret your remark about his _nice_ dream?" Gladio laughed as he asked Prompto.

"Maybe this conversation isn't a suitable one to be discussing in this time of manner," Ignis replied. The brunette chauffeur's eyes remained peeled on the road although he was no longer driving the car.

"When is a more suitable time?" Gladio hopped out of the car.

"How about we focus on how we're going to get to Hammerhead?" Noctis finally put in some words. "Come on Prompto, out of the car."

"Wait, really?" the blond asked him. Then he whined, "I don't want to leave the Regalia."

"We're not," Noctis said. "But we have to depend on some roadside assistance."

The blond looked to Ignis and Gladio. The bodyguard crossed his bulging arms across his muscled chest. "You heard his highness. Get out of the car."

Prompto didn't have to be told again. Instantly, he jumped out of the car. And they stayed stranded along the roadside, looking to see if any drivers would stop their cars to offer them some help.

Already the beginning of Noctis' journey was looking grim. He remembered he told his father right before he left the walled city of his home that he was ready for anything. He was wrong. The Regalia, their only means of transport, refused to budge as Ignis tried to ignite the engine with his key.

Gladio, short for Gladiolus, was waving his arms at incoming cars. Noctis decided to close his eyes from the brightness of the sun shining down on them in an arid place. He preferred to be indoors, perhaps on a soft bed sleeping most of the day away.

Who knew when was the next time he could flop down on a mattress? He had been outside Insomnia a few times, but he could barely recall his outings. His father made sure to keep him protected since the incident, a daemon had killed his nanny and terribly injured him as a child. Ever since, he lived a life as a commoner in his home. He attended a normal school, which was how he became friends with Prompto Argentum.

Another car passed them and Noctis heard Gladio's grunt. Noctis lips strained into a half smile. It appeared that no one was going to stop for them. Could he blame them? They were four men, strangers, who were built to fend off enemies. They emitted a bad vibe.

Maybe he could take a short nap while Gladio tried to hail some help. Already the direct sunlight on his black prince fatigue had him sweating. He shielded his eyes using the back of his hands.

Behind his eyelids, blackness greeted him and then a bright light hit him square in the face. He squinted his eyes and a grunt of displeasure escaped him. When the brightness receded, he fully opened his eyes and saw a hunched over figure wearing a tight white dress with pink and black straps wrapped around her torso. The dress left nothing to the imagination. Instantly, his cheeks reddened as patches of soft pale skin was revealed to him. Familiar long, wavy rosy hair cascaded over her left shoulder. She was on her hands and knees in the dirt. At least she wore pink and black leggings to protect her knees from being abraded. There was a storage bag at her hip and she wore strange purple ankle boots. Her apparel would turn many eyes, especially men.

A frown form on his face. He didn't like that idea.

Then he heard her harsh breathing as though she had been running a marathon. His forehead crinkled even more, concern etched his face. Before where he could only view her profile, he was unprepared for the full view of her face or how her dark blue eyes that reminded of him of the ocean clashed with his own eyes. She was stunning, more so then when he met her as a child and much more mature. She seemed to radiate with light. They stared at each other what seemed like an eternity.

While panting, she lifted a hand to him. Her arm outstretched to reach his own and he found his arm stretching out to her. Only his fingers were too far away. He strained the upper part of his body to get to her to realize he couldn't move. He glanced down and saw his body was surrounded by darkness. Quickly, he darted his gaze to her and the black inkiness began to engulf her form. Her body was disintegrating into black particles before his eyes and there was nothing he could do to stop it. There was a strange flash of golden light from her eyes. Her pink lips opened in a silent scream. He began to fight the darkness that was gripping him all over his body to get to her but it was too late. She dispersed into nothingness.

"Watch out!" Gladio's voice called to him. He felt a rough push against his body until he was lying flat down on the asphalt. A navy-blue car breezed on by. It was too close to him for comfort. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you asking for a quick death or something?"

He could only let out a "huh."

"Next time you need to sleep, take a nap in the car." Gladio sounded pissed off. Becoming aware of his surroundings, Noctis sat in an upright position. A wave of dizziness over-swept him. When it cleared, he scanned the area for the pink haired girl. She was nowhere. She just a figment of his imagination.

"Is something wrong, Noct?" his blond friend asked him. _Noct_. That was the name she called him at their first meeting. He never asked for her name in return.

The prince placed a hand on his forehead before slightly shaking his head.

"Must be the hot weather," the blond commented dryly.

He didn't answer him.

His friend lay down on the asphalt behind the Regalia. A tired sigh left him.

Gladio walked to the side of the black luxurious car in defeat. "I think we can forget hitching our way there…." He leaned against the driver's side where Ignis sat behind the wheel. "I thought people were friendly outside the city."

"You can only go so far on the kindness of strangers," Ignis replied as he too appeared disgruntled.

"I guess we're going to have to push her all the way." The bodyguard made his way to the back of the vehicle where the prince was yawning and the blond guy was complaining.

"I've already pushed myself to the brink of death."

Noctis' felt a light tap on his shoulder from the muscular man. "Oh, get up."

The bodyguard move to Prompto and kicked his feet non-too-gently. "C'mon, the car isn't going to move itself."

"I thought the car was to suppose to move us," Prompto quipped. All three males positioned themselves to move the car. Noctis was on the left side by the driver's door, Prompto was on the right side by the passenger's door and Gladio took the back.

"That would be nice," the prince agreed with his blond friend.

"Can it. Ready… Steady… Push!" Gladio began pushing the Regalia in the back.

Prompto whined. The prince remained quiet as he put force on the front part of the car. Prompto joined him.

As the car's wheels began rolling, the prince couldn't take the strain on his body because he did wake up from a nap. "Un. Believable."

"Not exactly a fairy tale beginning, huh, Prince Noctis?" Gladio had to rub reality in his face. He was completely wrong when he told his father he was prepared for anything.

"We let ourselves get carried away," the adviser added in the rub on reality. Ignis, usually the voice of reason, was also the one to criticize him when he allowed things to get too far out of control.

"Look, these things happen!" Prompto defended the prince and Noctis couldn't help but smile despite the dire situation they were in.

"Let's just hope this isn't some omen," Gladio continued.

His smile vanished. "Gladio, do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Push this thing by yourself."

"All by myself?" The bodyguard was big enough to handle the car.

Prompto was on the prince's side. "You won't even notice if we just let go."

"Prompto, don't even think about it," Gladio warned the blond man.

"Save some breath for pushing." Ignis had to have his input.

Noctis couldn't take it anymore. The heat was overbearing. "Ignis, c'mon- time to switch!"

"Nuh-uh! We just switched back there!" Gladio reminded him.

"And it's my turn, Noct," Prompto said.

Ignis agreed. "His _turn_."

"My hands are killing me," Prompto voiced out his pain. Noctis could only hope they reached a gas station soon or else they would be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

"You rather I kill you with mine?" Gladio was getting even more pissed off partially due to the hot weather and perhaps Prompto's whining. It was a good thing the blond man didn't take what people said too seriously.

"Easy there, tough guy."

"Any luck?" Noctis asked the brunette man behind the wheel. He had been quiet because he was trying to read the map. According to the map, Hammerhead was suppose to be down the road they were heading. But so far, they had no luck with getting there.

"The world is a big place," Noctis implied as they passed a blank headboard. A dull yellow truck drove around their broke down car. What a way for the prince and his companions to be teased about their dire situation.

He couldn't wait to hit Hammerhead. The first thing he was going to do was flop down on a nice soft surface and then ponder about the pink haired female who recently began to occupy his mind.

Until then, he shook his head at facing the real world.

* * *

 **A/N:** So how did I do with the first chapter? I tried my best with keeping the characters cannon although my knowledge is limited about them. Honestly, I love all the characters and what happens to them is an injustice, especially Noctis. Since I didn't know much about Lunafreya, considering her role is limited, I chose Serah as a heroine that readers, perhaps, can relate to and she may understand Noctis since she, herself, walked a path like his.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Wow. I was not expecting this much reception base on the first chapter for a Noctis/Serah fanfiction. I had to a do double take. I hope you don't mind me asking, how did you find this story? I'm quite curious because this is the only story in the FFXV and FFXIII-2 archive. I guess I wasn't expecting FFXV players to look elsewhere for stories. *Bows to everyone.* Thank you for giving this story a shot so far.

This chapter and the next will be Serah's story, which will tie into the writer's challenge of connecting FFXV with FFXIII-2. Honestly, this chapter was difficult to write since FFXIII is one long story. The next one will be FXIII-2 and this game is the one that intertwines with FFXV. And then Chapter Four will continue off Noctis.

 **Important Note:** I won't be bashing any characters such as Luna or Snow. Degrading them seems immoral.

Thanks and tell me what you think so far in your review if you don't mind. I welcome your feedback and it helps me grow as a writer.

* * *

Secrets.

Everyone had them.

Some could be revealed while others remained… well, secrets remained secrets. Because if uncovered, secrets could change everything.

At least that was what young Serah Farron thought and she had every right to keep her secrets quiet. The others like Claire, her older sister, or her mother wouldn't understand. They would think she was lying to get attention and her mother was already sick. She noted how the middle-aged woman's skin looked sunken, showing the sharp angles of bones. The once bright blond hair was falling from her scalp. Her eyes looked hollow. Black scabs began appearing on her skin, which the hospital gown covered. The doctors believed the black scabs might be an allergic reaction to the medicine she was prescribed but Serah felt something was off. At times when the pink haired girl put her hand over the infected areas, she felt a buzzing sensation throughout her body.

Any child would have been frightened by something uncomfortable. Serah wasn't. Her mother had a rare disease that was eating away her body from inside out. The doctors didn't know what kind of disease she had so they kept her confined in her room at the hospital and away from other people. Serah and Claire stayed with her, since they didn't have anyone else to look after them. And they were the only ones who seemed to be immune to whatever disease their mother had. They came in contact with doctors and nurses and so far, they didn't have the symptoms their mother was ailing.

Even now, her sister was working odd end jobs outside the hospital while Serah stayed with their mother. The doctors were that confident the rare disease won't spread to anyone else in Bodhum.

Serah sat at the edge of her mother's bed, holding her mother's frail hand while watching her turn fretfully in her sleep. The machine next to her made a constant beeping sound to alert those in the room her mother's heartbeat was beating normally.

"You'll be okay, mom," Serah whispered to the sleeping figure. It was what she did often, console her mother and herself. Then, she looked out the window as she started to hum a light tune only her mother would hear. Her mother stilled in sleep. The beeping sound slowed to a point Serah felt comforted that her mother was going to be all right. Her fingers unwrapped around her mother's bony wrist, the hand fell limp on the bed covers.

Serah raised her head to look out the window. Already the sun was almost vanishing behind the horizon. At any moment, Claire was going to come home with fresh food she usually picked up from one of the vending stalls. In this little moment of peace, the pink haired girl put her hand in her dress pocket and pulled out a shiny piece of item she found in one of the hospital rooms. When it was being cleaned by the nurses, she had snuck in saw the shiny object glittering from the side of an open window. Somehow, the little gem was perched in between two bricks on the window ledge. The little girl was fortunate to pull it out while remaining undetected. Then the strange events began to happen at night when she was sleeping. She started seeing images of a dark-haired boy dressed in black clothes in different places. But the first time she met and talked with him was on a beach in his world. It was also the first time her body had been enveloped in black mist.

The small gem sparkled in her open hand. If she concentrated hard enough, her arm would dissolve in black particles. If she willed it, she could turn invisible. It was as if the gem had given her abilities that surpassed her imagination. Maybe she could see the boy because of the object.

Shutting her eyes, she closed her hand with the item. As she inhaled a breath, she felt heat rushed from her palm to the rest of her body. Instantly, her form dissolved in what she assumed was black particles. Time rushed forth and then she was standing in a grand bedroom. Tall windows with expensive looking tapestries surrounded her. Dark wooden furniture spread throughout the room along with a luxurious four poster bed in the center. Serah gazed at the bedroom in awe. She found herself immersed in the boy's world once again.

As if on cue, she saw him sitting on a grand chair behind his desk. He was scribbling something down on paper. Then he huffed as if unsatisfied with something he wrote down and he put his pen on the desk.

Slowly, she walked behind him, careful to move silently on her feet. When she was within distance, a smile blossomed on her face. "So, this is how a boy's room look like. I always thought it was going to be messier than a girl's room."

She folded her hands behind her back as he turned to face her. His sky-blue eyes widened at the sight of her. "Wh…when? H..how did you get here?"

She laughed at the way he was spluttering before she raised her hands in the air. "I'm sorry," she said, although it didn't sound like she meant it. "It just happened again. I thought of you and I ended up here."

His cheeks reddened as he looked away from her. She couldn't help but think he was adorable. "I… you… you thought of me?"

Her smile grew wider.

His whole face turned darker, similar to the color of a tomato. "You're not suppose to be here," he said, trying to change the subject.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I know but I guess I needed a change."

He got up from his chair. "A change from what?"

She swiveled on her feet so that her back was facing him. "From ordinary life."

He moved until he was standing next to her. His arms were behind him. "I think I know what you mean."

She tilted her head back. "Really?"

"Well, I sort of got in trouble for wandering in the garden when I should have been doing my lesson," he said. He bowed his head to cover his shame.

Instantly, she shifted to his desk and sat on the chair. She made sure not to glance at his paper in terms of respecting his privacy. She already invaded his personal space by appearing in his room unannounced. "Can you tell me all about it… that's if you don't mind?"

"Uhh.. umm…." He scratched the back of his head.

Serah slightly shook her head, causing her pink hair to sway with her movements. "You don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable." She paused before adding, "And I'm sorry for intruding."

She was about to get up from his chair when he placed a hand on her shoulder. As if realizing he was touching her, he removed it and lowered his head. "It's not you." He tapped his bare foot on the shiny floor. "I'm not sure how to talk to girls," he confessed.

"Really?" she asked seriously. He lifted his head up until his sky-blue eyes were looking at her. "I get you're shy and all but with someone of your social standing, I'd think you talk a lot to girls."

He glanced around the room. "So you noticed?"

"I knew when I heard the person calling for you called you a prince on the beach."

He let out a long breath. "I was hoping you wouldn't learn about that for a long time."

The girl titled her head to the side. "Why?"

"You will treat me like how everyone else treats me, formally."

She was getting impressed by him. He was still looking into her eyes. "You don't have to worry about me treating you like a prince. I'll still treat you like how I want to be treated."

He frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Her eyes darted upward while she placed a fist under her chin. After some thought she said, "My older sister tells me to treat people how I want to be treated. If I show respect to someone, he or she will return that respect."

"That makes sense."

Her lips twisted into a full smile. "Yep, I know. My sister is a great teacher."

He smiled before he moved to sit on his bed. "You are lucky to have a sibling. I'm an only child."

The smile faltered on her face. "She might be the only person I have in my life soon."

He remained quiet. She took the silence as a cue to keep on talking since she didn't have anyone to talk to outside of the hospital room. "My mother has an unknown disease. The doctors…." There was a lump in her throat. "They don't know what it is. All they can do is try to keep her as comfortable as possible."

"I'm sorry," he said. After a while he included, "I only have my father in my life but he's busy most of the time. When I get to see him at dinner, we hardly speak to each other."

She stood up from the chair and slowly made her way to the young boy. When she reached him, Serah knelt before him. He gulped as she took one of his hands in her own. "May I make a suggestion?" she asked.

He carefully nodded his head as she noticed that he refused to make eye contact with her but she didn't mind. She was contented to talk to someone other than her family or anyone else at the hospital.

"Cherish the time you have with your father." Those words astonished him as he snapped his head to her. "And I will cherish the time I have left with my mother."

"No, not only her," he said of all sudden. He closed his eyes as he tried to recollect himself. Then he opened them. "I mean cherish the time you have with everyone important to you in life."

Her face brightened up. "Then I'll make you a deal."

He raised his eyebrows. "What is it?"

"We'll shake hands but we have to remember the advice we give one another. To cherish the people most important in our lives." She let go of his hand and held hers in midair.

He glanced at it. He hesitated, which made her worry that she somehow had offended him but then his eyes sparkled. "Can I add us becoming friends?"

She began to laugh to a point she felt her body closing in on the floor. Her shoulders shook with impact of her laughter. He just watched her with a stunned expression on his innocent looking face.

"I wasn't expecting that," she expressed as her laughter subsided.

"Well, if we keep on meeting like this we can be friends unless…." He scratched his head as his gaze skirted to the corners of his bedroom with uncertainty.

"All right," she said all of a sudden, causing his body to jerk upright. She lifted her hand and waited for him to take it. He stared at her hand awkwardly before his fingers wrapped around the midsection of her hand. She beamed. They paused midair with shaking hands and Serah could have sworn she felt a tingling sensation run up her arm.

"Wait, while we're at it, we should share names," he said without letting her go. "Noctis."

"I know." The beam never left her face. "I'm Serah."

"Finally, I have a name for your face."

Her beam instantly turned into a frown. She tugged at her hand. "What do you mean by that?"

"I felt weird every time I remembered you as the nameless girl."

Her mouth fell open as she blinked at him. "What?"

"But that's changed." He was the one smiling at her and for some reason she was having a hard time breathing properly. She didn't notice it before but he had a nice smile.

She tugged at her hand again. "Will you let go?"

"Oh, sorry about that." He let her go while he sheepishly scratched his head with his other hand.

Serah shook her head. At least he was opening up to her but time had a way of turning on her. Before she realized what was happening, she noticed his eyes widened and his arm outstretched to her. She lifted her hand to see inky black.

"Noct," was all she said before she vanished from his world and then she found herself curled up into a ball on the hospital floor. The bright light from the ceiling was spilling down on her.

"Serah!" a familiar voice called to her.

Someone raised the upper half of her body until she leaning against the person. The world spun around and Serah was harshly panting for air.

"Serah, are you okay?" the familiar voice asked worriedly. She knew that voice. It was her older sister, Claire. Had she returned from her part-time work?

Serah shook her head as she raised both hands to her pounding temples. The last time she shifted in between worlds, she never got a pounding headache. She massaged her throbbing head when she realized she wasn't holding the gem. Her head snapped up while her eyes scanned the hospital floor.

"Serah, are you sure you're okay?" Claire asked her again.

Serah nodded her head and wobbly rose to her feet. With her sister's support, her eyes darted to the bare floor to see it clean.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Perhaps she did see a ghost. Maybe Noctis was a dream. She couldn't turn into black mist or warp into different worlds. It was just too impossible.

Claire helped her to the bathroom. The light flickered on and Claire guided her to sit on the closed lidded toilet before leaving her alone.

But Noctis was real because she saw him when she closed her eyes. She met him twice in person and each time, she held his hand. Yes, he was a breathing person like her.

Claire walked into the bathroom with a clean white towel. She put it on the sink and headed toward the bathtub. The moment she turned on the hot water, warm fog began to float in the air. Claire helped Serah to her feet. There was a mirror across from her, it's image of her was blurry.

"Claire?" Serah whispered her name.

"Yes, what's wrong?" Her sister put both hands on her shoulders and turned her until she was looking into her sister's pale baby blue eyes.

She wanted to tell her sister her secrets. She really did.

Serah opened her mouth but she recalled a time she confessed her secret to the prince.

" _Can I tell you a secret?"_

" _Sure."_

" _I'm not exactly from this world."_

She blinked her eyes. What if she wasn't from Cocoon? Could she be from Gran Pulse? Anyone from Gran Pulse was considered an enemy. It would explain her unusual power.

"Serah?" Claire shook her.

Her head lolled to the side.

"Serah!" Her older sister said more urgently.

Serah did something she didn't expected to but the gesture would comfort her sister. She hugged Claire. Her sister froze but then she returned her embrace. "I'm sorry, sister. I'm sorry." She closed her eyes to cover the unshed tears.

Secrets.

Everyone had them.

She had them and it was better she remained silent about them.

OoO

As the years passed by Serah didn't meet Noct again. In fact, she thought the times she met him were just dreams. And the fact he still haunted her as she grew up was annoying. She could see him as clear as day when she shut her eyes but he wasn't the child she remembered him to be. Instead, he matured over the years. His raven hair grew longer and spikier, his facial features was more pronounced, especially his eyes. They were a calm blue like a cloudless sky. He seemed to have a commanding aura which contrasted from his shy nature as a boy. If she was in a crowded area, she would spot him instantly.

But an eighteen-year old Serah had to give him up.

So many things happened since the last time she saw him. For one, her mother died. Claire continued work and school. After Claire completed her school years, she joined the military. It was quite easy for Claire since their father was in the military. Serah didn't get to see her often.

Two, Serah befriended a group of rebels who called themselves NORA. Snow Villiers, the leader of the rebel group, became interested in her to a point that he asked her out. Feeling the need to move on with the real world, not to live in some fantasy dream like she usually did, she accepted his feelings and began dating him.

And lastly, she discovered some crushing news that changed her fate forever. She became an l'Cie. Anyone who turned into an l'Cie became an enemy to those living on Cocoon. She wanted to say her goodbyes to her loved ones since the purge was taking place in Bodhum. But her last thought might be futile. She was trapped in Bodhum Vestige and would soon be on Pulse.

"I guess I won't be able to keep up with my end of the bargain," she whispered to no one. An image of a darkly prince flashed in her mind. "And you still haunt me, Noct. Why?"

He just wouldn't leave her alone. Not even when her hero was on his way to save her.

Remorse flooded her and she closed her eyes. She was being unfair to Snow, using him as a link to keep her on Cocoon. She wanted proof that she was from Cocoon, that her dreams were just dreams, that she was a human with emotions. Snow was all of that. But it failed when she found the doorway in the Bodhum Vestige landmark. She accidently ran into a fal'Cie who gave her a Focus she was unsure about and branded her a l'Cie. She started having relentless visions of Cocoon and Noctis.

She shook her head as another voice whispered to her. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Her blue eyes widened in recognition. Her sister, Claire who changed her name to Lightening, found her.

"Please let me in." Her sister's voice echoed all around her.

"Can I let her in?" she quietly asked no one, yet she had the feeling that whoever was keeping her hostage on the platform in midair heard her.

There was a moment of silence before she heard a sound of an opening door somewhere.

"Thank you," she said. At least she would get to see someone important to her.

Tears slipped from behind her closed eyelids.

"Serah!" Another masculine voice called out to her. "Where are you?"

Snow! He was here too! She wished she could call out to him but she knew it was pointless. They would eventually find her and when they did, she would express her feelings.

She just had to wait.

"I'm coming for you no matter what!" His yell echoed in the open air. Her lips stretched into a smile despite the tears that fell down her cheeks. She could always count on Snow to lighten a situation with his positivism.

Then her smile vanished as she felt her an invisible weight pushing her down.

"No, please give me some more time," she begged. Her body went limp as she lay face up on the floor. She opened her eyes as more tears spilled from her eyes. "Please."

But whoever kept her hostage was merciless. Before she knew what was happening, her eyes were closing and darkness greeted her.

And while in a sleeping state, she heard voices. One person she recognized was her sister as small, but strong arms lifted her in the air. The other voice was from a stranger.

"It's time to go before the army-." There was a slight pause before she heard "what?"

"That's a Pulse's brand. That girl's a l'Cie," the stranger said.

"I already told you that," her sister replied.

"Pulse l'Cie are enemies of Cocoon," he remarked in a strangely calm manner.

"So they should die?"

"Listen if she fails her Focus, then you know how that'll end." The calmness faded away into sadness.

"And killing her is a mercy?" There was a bitterness in Lightening's voice that she hardly ever heard. For some reason Serah felt the need to comfort her sister. Her fingers twitched in midair and she focused using a large amount of her strength to raise her hand and rest it against her sister's warm cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open despite the endless sleep beckoning her into the deep, dark depths of blackness. The vision of ruffled pink hair and worried baby blue eyes before her made her glad. "You came."

Lightening gasped and then placed her form slowly on the cold floor.

"Serah!" Snow's voice called to her. Turning her head to the direction of his voice, she saw his large frame covered in a long beige trench coat, black baggy pants, gray boots and his usual black bandana. He definitely wasn't a dream. He was coming down on a platform with two other youngsters, garbed in strange clothing, standing behind him.

When the platform landed on the ground, Snow ran to her and clutched her hand. She could feel the rough leather of his gloves against her cold hand.

"Is that… my hero?" she asked, making sure it was him who was holding her hand. She wanted to cherish her last moments with him and Lightening before she passed on.

Her fingertips grazed the light stubble on his cheek and she smiled for him. It really was him.

Then she heard the bickering between Lightening and him and her smile turned peaceful. It seemed like things between them weren't going to change no matter the situation yet she was grateful for the normalcy. She was reminded that her and them were real. They weren't part of a dream.

The word "protect" drifted in the atmosphere and a burning sensation began making its way up her body. She pointed her head in the direction of her sister and said, "You can save us?"

"Huh?" Lightening said, looking puzzled.

"Protect us all." She was beginning to fade like those times she was with Noctis.

"Save…" She blinked her eyes while trying to keep a smile on her face. "Cocoon."

"Save Cocoon," Lightening repeated her words. "Searh, was that your Focus?"

"I'll do everything! I'll save Cocoon! I'll protect everyone! Leave it all to me!" Snow declared.

Lightening exchanged looks between him and her before she mustered, "Somehow, I'll make things right."

"You just relax," Snow added in gently. Her lips were tired from stretching across her face. In fact, she was weary.

"Thank you," she whispered her final farewell. Her eyes drooped while her smile faltered.

She did it. Somehow, she kept her end of her bargain to Noctis. She cherished her last moments with two important people in her life. She wondered if he would remember the bargain they made as children.

Her body became as light a feather and it illuminated. She could feel Snow's gloved hand letting her go as she rose higher into the air. Then she lifted both her hands to join them together while her body was turning into crystal. When the crystallization reached her throat, it dawned on her about the item she possessed as a child. The sparkling gem was in fact a crystal remnant from a l'Cie.

But she lost her train of thought as darkness blanketed her.

OoO

Elsewhere two figures looked up into dark gray sky with skeptical eyes. The monsters around them roared with discomfort in the plains on Pulse as they too sensed the strangeness in the atmosphere. Then a few seconds later, a slight tremor went through the two figures.

"So you sense it too, Yuel?" A man dressed in a tight fitting black suit with a menacing black sword strapped to his back glanced down at a blue haired petite girl.

She nodded her head.

"So your vision begins then?" he questioned.

"Yes Caius, and soon there will be another paradoxical change in the timeline."

He walked a little ahead of the herd of monsters, not paying any heed to them. As much as people thought monsters were brainless creatures, they were smart enough to rely on instinct and instinct told them that Caius Ballad was not a man to be trifled with.

"Caius?" the girl called out to him.

He paused in his stride as he waited for the fragile girl to catch up to him.

"Promise me you won't interfere," she said softly. They both knew that if Caius had a chance he would change her vision. "Doing so will cause other people to suffer."

His handsome face contorted to one of displeasure. He clenched his hands into fists as he kept his back to her. Then he turned to face her with a ripple of calmness in his stance. He knelt before her with a closed fist placed over his chest. The seeress -born into a cursed life of serving a god- wore the same clothes, a white halter top, a short-pleated white and purple skirt, yellow moccasins and colorful beads. The guardian closed his eyes as he made the solemn promise. "I won't interfere with your vision or what Goddess Etro has in plan for this world and the next one."

Lightly, her fingertips brushed over Caius' face, raising his chin so he was facing her. He opened his eyes to see a smiling Yuel. "Thank you," she whispered. The appreciation shining in her emerald eyes was all the emotion he needed and for now he could cope with Yuel appearing to be happy.

Fluidly, he rose to his feet and began walking again. This time the seeress walked beside him.

* * *

 **A/N:** I felt like this is a good place to end this chapter for FXIII. The next chapter will have events in FXIII-2 and then everything else will be thrown in FFXV's world. What do you think so far? Did you like the brief interaction between Noctis and Serah?

Also, thank you so much for taking your time to leave feedback, for adding this story to either your favorite or follow list. *Bows.*


	3. Chapter 3

Serah woke up from her crystal stasis into a nightmare. Lightening, her sister was missing.

The same darkness that had whisk her away a couple of times came for her sister.

Which was why she was traveling alongside a hunter who claimed to have come from a dystopian future and a flying stuff animal. She was still searching for her sister. Yet, she only stumbled across two strangers.

A tall and muscular man dressed in black stood with a fierce looking blade in one hand. His striking face contorted with malice and disgust as he looked down at her and her companions. He was about to attack them with his sword when a sweet voice made him pause. He turned his head to the side, a name escaping his lips. "Yuel."

The hunter, Noel Kreiss, stiffened with hearing such a name. His eyes widened as a petite girl stepped forward, her doe eyes assessing him, Serah, and Mog -their flying friend.

"Yuel," the hunter said as he warily accosted the girl. The larger man beside the girl in question growled his displeasure. Noel took the hint and stopped where he was. "Is it you?"

There was no recognition shining in her pale eyes but she seemed to know who he was talking about. "I am Yuel, but I'm not the one you seek."

His shoulders dropped as his head lowered. Serah, momentarily forgotten, spoke while startling the two males. "Who exactly are you?"

The blunette girl smiled as she watched the hunter and her guardian stare at the other woman. "I am Yuel of this time. The man next to me is my guardian, Caius."

"Oh, I see," Serah replied unintelligently. She didn't understand what was going on. But from her friend's facial expression, he knew who the people were. Maybe, later he would fill her in.

"Please, tell me when will I see her again?" he whispered. There was a moment her face softened, and the beauty radiating from her made Serah realize she didn't belong in their conversation. Apparently, the dark-haired girl, her guardian and Noel had a deep past.

Serah felt something stirred in her chest. Unknowingly, she raised a clenched fist over her heart. The action didn't go unnoticed by Yuel.

The petite girl schooled her expression and answered his question. "You will meet many of my reincarnations in the future. Perhaps you might see her again."

Noel nodded his head and he sighed as Caius sheathed his sword. The tall man gave them an intimidating look before turning away. Yuel was about to follow him.

Serah noticed Noel and Mog were already heading the other direction. She saw how stiff Noel's shoulders were and how his head lifted to the sky, his attention was somewhere else.

"You're like me." Those words broke Serah's reverie. She turned around to see Caius glancing over his shoulder at her. His steely eyes cutting right through her. Yuel simply stood in her spot, unaffected by everything.

"Excuse me," Serah said. Caius raised one muscular arm; his long fingers curled around the black hilt of his sword strapped to his back. Yuel raised her hand in the air as a gesture to stop him from acting so hostile.

"You're gifted by Goddess Etro to see the future."

Serah couldn't respond to that.

"But I must warn you to be careful."

Serah stilled at the girl's warning. She didn't deny that she saw visions of the future. Before meeting Noel, she saw him in a dream and the striking resemblance he had to Noctis startled her. Sometimes she had to do a double take to make sure Noel wasn't Noctis.

"We don't live long because every vision takes away a piece of our life." Serah blinked her eyes. She had noticed she was tiring faster but she thought her fatigue came from the endless battles against monsters. There was a sudden flash in Yuel's eyes and the larger man drew near her. He supported her delicate frame with strong arms as she looked to be near collapsing point.

Serah moved to help her but the hard stare from the male stopped her.

"And yet you are the one to change destinies," the girl said softly.

"Pardon me," Serah replied, unsure if blunette was still talking to her.

"Your change of heart, Serah, will strengthen your resolve for what truly matters," the young girl who claimed to be a seer warned her. "We have the same destiny."

Serah blinked again.

The petite girl straightened herself. "Let us leave before you have more visions of the future," the guardian commanded. She nodded her head in agreement.

Serah brushed a shaky hand through her rosy locks. She inhaled a deep breath and then let it go before she dashed off to meet the others.

OoO

There was no Lighting. No Yuel. And no Ciaus either. Stuck in a world of blackening skies, crumbling buildings and large waves crashing ashore, Serah felt her body giving away. How much longer did she have to suffer?

All she wanted was for things to go back the way they were.

Instead the end was drawing near.

A hand, palm up, popped in front her face. Serah tiredly looked up to the person offering her help. His warm blue eyes and dark hair filled her vision. Instantly, Noctis appeared in her mind, before she slightly shook her head. Noel and Mog were the ones who were with her. She accepted the hand before her as masculine words drowned out everything else. "We're almost there."

"Yes," she breathed. Their journey was coming to a closing point.

Ahead, a light flashed, signifying a new portal had opened for them.

OoO

They had stop to rest from their long trek in Archylte Steppe, year unknown. Serah was learning how tough a hunter's life was. She could imagine what Noel went through since he came from the end of days. Hunters, she learned, relied on each other. There were favors to each other, which was another nice way of saying people were using each other. He learned the lesson the hard way; the value of life. Noel refused to go on a hunt with a person and he never saw him again.

After hearing such a story, Serah had to wonder how was his life living alone.

Someday, Serah might be by herself too.

She couldn't help but ask as she saw Noel adding more wood to the fire he sparked to keep them warm. "Noel?"

His warm blue eyes sought hers. His dark eyebrows rose in speculation.

"I was just wondering…." She bit her lip in hesitation and she glanced down at her hands folded neatly in her lap. Mog rested beside her. The stuff animal was in a world of his own.

"What is it, Serah?" he encouraged her to continue. He took a seat right across the camp fire while laying the bunch of wood to his left.

"I can't help but wonder how you made it all alone in your time," she replied quietly.

Noel looked away from her, lost in his own thoughts. Only the crackling from the fire filled the silence.

"Honestly, I don't know," he said after some time. He slightly shook his head. "When I try to remember the past, I only remember Yuel and Ciaus. Everything else is blur."

"Oh," she said before her eyes flickered to the flames.

"Sorry." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't be." It was Serah's turn to shake her head. In a way, her question had been answered. Noel wasn't ready to share his past and that was okay. She could put two and two together. The feeling of hope was the driving force that kept him going. And it was his optimism that inspired her to keep journeying with him and Mog.

After he and Mog laid asleep under the stars on their bed shift of dried leaves, Serah stared up into the starry night sky. "Even knowing the future, I will keep moving forth. I don't know what you have in store for me Etro but if it ties to him, Noct, then… I hope to see him again."

Her eyes drifted shut with the stars winking at her.

OoO

She had to do end their relationship for his sake. If she didn't, Snow would spend every waking moment agonizing over her and she didn't want him to suffer after she was gone.

Besides, her heart could only endure as much before it broke into pieces.

"We have to stop," she said with a teary voice. She wiped away the tears slipping from her eyes. Behind her Noel and Mog turned their attention elsewhere to give the couple their privacy. Only the colosseum didn't grant that offer.

"Serah, what do you mean?" Snow asked. His brows creased with worry. "I know things haven't gone too smoothly between us."

How could she tell him she was going to die? No, it was better to break his heart now then to shatter his soul later. He could still take the time left to reprieve.

"I don't want to hear it," she quipped. She turned her head to the side while wiping away her tears with the back of her hands.

"Serah," he said, desperately trying to get her attention. He took one step toward her and automatically she slipped back startling both Noel and Mog. They wanted to interfere.

"Stay away," she admonished everyone. Then her gaze hardened on the blond man while she internally prayed she sounded convincing. "Things should have ended between us when you found out I was a l'Cie. Instead you insisted you can help. How?"

"Serah, I…."

"No." She put a hand out to ward him. He was going to shift closer to her but she backed up to create more distance between them.

"Serah, please…."

Lie _._ "I want someone who will put me first before saving the world. Someone who will marry me and not put off our wedding to save other people." Her eyes turned icy with her last statement.

His eyes widened. "But Vanille and Fang…."

She hoped that one day he could forgive her. "Are more important than me."

"Serah!" Snow yelped. Before she knew it, he was closing in on her. If she let him hold her, she was going to break down. In her last moment of desperation, she grasped the special necklace he gave to her as an engagement token at her chest and she ripped it from her throat. The chain fell to the ground while the pendant rolled slowly to his feet.

His face crumpled at the sight and Serah turned away from him. "Goodbye." She stiffly walked past an astonished Noel and Mog. Both of them knew better than to question her. When she went through a time gate into another unknown world she finally collapsed to the ground while sobbing.

Noel and Mog flashed in behind her but they left her alone to grieve.

"Why, kupo? Why did Serah break up him?" Mog questioned Noel with a worried tone.

"I don't know, Mog. But I get this feeling that everything is not going to be okay," Noel replied as he watched her from a distance.

Mog's floating body drooped to the ground. "Is there anything we can do, kupo?"

"No, at least not for now." They both kept a large space between them and Serah to give her some personal space. They kept vigil over her as the sun rays died away between the mountain peaks in the horizon.

OoO

The end was here. The time paradox corrected itself with all the changes Noel, Mog and Serah were responsible for. Academia 500AF was the era for a new world. Humanity could start anew.

Everyone was rejoicing over saving the crystalized forms of Vanille and Fang. Sazh, in his airship, made sure to catch Noel and Serah who were falling from the sky. Noel was the first one to land on the ship where he patted the top of it. "Good catch," he complimented the pilot.

Sazh exchanged a compliment with the hunter. Then Noel turned to grasp Serah's hand and help her land safely on top the ship. "I got you."

Serah smiled at him, glad she could see the world was normal again. The sky looked a calm and crystal blue. She wished the sky could forever stay the same color.

"You're feeling okay, right?" Noel asked her. His eyes looked hopeful. How could she shatter his little moment of happiness?

Lie again _._ She opted for nodding her head while her lips hurt from stretching too wide on her face.

Mog drifted happily around them.

"Good."

"Noel," she said.

"Yeah?"

She had his full attention.

At least she could keep her promise to Noctis. "Thank you," she whispered. _For everything._ Then her eyes widened as the golden light of Etro flashed in her eyes.

"Serah! No!" Noel shouted. He pulled her close to him until she fell into his arms. Her body went limp.

He tried to shake out of her vision but he knew better than anyone else what Goddess Etro's eyes entailed.

Her hands dropped flat on the airship's surface. Her head fell back, exposing her throat. Her eyes closed.

"Serah!" Noel called out to heavens. She was gone. The time traveling back and forth between the worlds, righting the paradoxical changes caused a ripple effect to spiral outward through time and space. "If you change the past, you change the future." Plus, he killed Ciaus, who was the last living entity of the Goddess, herself. He helped to end the world.

Mog fell to the airship's surface, disheartened.

Hope hopped on top the ship. His happiness dimming on seeing Serah's unconscious body. Suddenly, strong winds burst out of nowhere. The blue sky blackened with dust. A void opened, sucking in everything from Academia. The ship was turbulent.

Screams erupted in the air. No one noticed Serah's lifeless body shimmered and dispersed into black particles.

And no one knew what her last vision was either.

OoO

"Where am I?" Serah asked, noticing she was standing in the middle of nowhere sometime during the night. Above her, a full moon softly glowed, allowing her to see some plants and dirt on the ground. In the distance, she could make out a shining sign. A populated area was near. If Serah could get there she would have a chance to figure out where she was.

"You're in a different world," another soft and feminine voice spoke. Serah whipped her head to the side to see Yuel standing beside her.

"Yuel?"

The petite girl nodded her head. Her eyes seemed to shine more brightly under the moonlight.

"Why am I here?" she questioned as she returned her gaze to the lighted sign, appearing as a beacon in an unknown place.

"You know why."

Serah sighed, feeling lost.

"We are nothing but puppets for our master and so we dance to her tune," the seer replied.

"But I should be dead, not alive nor here," Serah said as she lifted her hands to inspect them.

"Everything you went through was preparing you for this time and place. It is the will of Goddess Etro."

Suddenly, Serah's eyes widened. She turned to look at Yuel. "The visions of Noctis and this world, is he here?" Her heart pumped faster at the idea of seeing the prince again.

"He is and he isn't."

The flicker of hope vanished. "What does that mean?"

"He is here but you have to find him."

"And if I do, then what?" Serah curled her hand under her chin.

"The visions will guide you," the seer simply replied.

Serah let out a long breath. "That doesn't answer anything… wait! Will I still die here?"

The girl's lips curled upward. "Your powers will have consequences but you have nothing to worry about."

This Yuel was beginning to frighten her. She stepped away from the girl while warily watching her. She didn't notice before but a dark cloud of smoke wandered up the girl's bare legs. A gasp escaped Serah.

The seer wasn't concern about her reaction. Instead, Yuel gazed eerily at the moon with a far-off expression. "Once upon a time there was a world that had seven gods. In a time when humanity was peaking, the Gods granted a chosen few with the abilities of their gift, a way to commune with them." The girl began to pace forward, near the spectacle of lights across the distance. Although Serah's body was on high alert about this Yuel, she had no choice but to follow her or be left alone in a wilderness.

"But not every God and Goddess agreed that mortals should have the divine right to interact with the Gods. One such God, Ifrit, betrayed the Gods and scorched humanity with a plague known as starscourge. Another such Goddess that could stop him was duped by him -due to her love and compassion for humans- into another world and was locked away. The nameless Goddess became lost in history. The other Gods refuse to speak her name."

"Are you talking about Goddess Etro?" Serah questioned.

Suddenly, a hard and calloused hand caught her wrist and the clouds of darkness around Yuel engulfed her frame. When the clouds settled, Ciaus' menacing orbs were looking down at her as he towered over her.

She gasped.

"You shouldn't interrupt someone whose talking, it's consider rude," he said with a rough voice.

Serah pulled at her arm futilely. She didn't have Noel or Mog to help her fight.

A sinister grin appeared on his face. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you." The last time she fought him, she felt his ominous blade pierced her body.

He let go her hand, leaving Serah to stumble a few steps back. She clutched her wrist to her chest while rubbing it to soothe the pain.

"You're here for a reason, Seeress, and though you may have to journey alone, the Goddess was nice to grant you access to your powers. You will figure it out in all due time."

She inhaled a breath as she saw him take a few steps back.

"Be careful who knows about your powers. You don't want to be in the wrong company." His grin turned into a mocking smirk. The clouds of darkness gathered around his body.

Serah realized he was going to leave her alone. "Wait!" she called out to him. She raised her arm to stop him but he vanished before her eyes. She stumbled before she righted herself. Then, she nervously glanced around her. Serah decided to go to the place with shining lights. The more people around her, the better she felt. Carefully, she trudged a path to the sign that flashed Hammerhead while taking in the strange sounds and sights. A low groan echoed from beneath her.

Her eyes casted down to the ground and noticed spectacles of black mist gathering where she placed her foot. Instantly, she stepped back as a hand popped out from under the ground. Its long fingers uncurled and a giant flaming sword procured from thin air. The hand rose higher into a dark muscled arm until Serah saw a monster looming over her. A screech left her. In her panic, she fell on her rear.

The monster's groan turned into a wail. It stared at her with red revolting eyes as it lifted its huge blazing sword in the air. The flames from the sword glistened along it's body, making it appear muscularly metal. Quick reflexes, honed from the numerous battles she undertook with Noel, acted. She rolled away in time from the blade striking the ground. Immediately, cracks formed under her and Serah swiftly rose to her feet and leapt away. By then, the hulking metal of a giant was staring hostilely at her, posed to attack. It's hand tightly gripped the blade before swinging at her again. This time, she barely dodged it and the wind from its swing pushed her on her back.

Was it her or was the iron monster extremely strong?

She didn't have another chance to think, the blade lunged at her, hitting her side while she tried to roll away from it. Pain shot up her arm. She bit down hard on her lower lip, enough to draw blood.

Another slash was arcing down at her. Despite the pain to her side, she continued to roll on the ground. She paused as the iron giant started to struggle. Apparently, the monster's blade was embedded deeply in the ground. It was time for her to react. She pushed herself to her knees while clutching her wounded side. Serah closed her eyes and looked for the magic within her since she didn't have Mog to transform himself into her weapon. A rush of heat like magma flowed through her veins. Instantly, a warm light formed in her hand.

Cure. A light veiled her body and the crackling of pain she felt at her side dimmed. Once the light faded, she touched the side of her exposed abdomen and then checked the bare skin along her arm. She frowned at the difference of what she saw and how she felt. Her wound had closed from the monster's strike but she felt worn out. Was her magic failing her?

There was a piercing cry and Serah raised her head in alarm. Easily, calling upon her magic, she switched from medic to ravager mode. Ravager mode allowed her access to offensive magic. If the monster's body consisted of metal, thunder might help keep it at bay. Fire could also heat up enough of the exterior to cause major damage. If she could distract the monster long enough to make it to the populated area, she would be safe, or at least she hoped she would be okay.

There had to be a reason the iron giant didn't attack the area.

Maybe it chose her because she was weak.

She shook her head as determination swirled in her. This time no one was coming to rescue her. Not Lightening, not Noel or even Snow. She was alone.

Energy crackled between her fingers. Magic pulsed within her before she aimed the bundle at the iron hulk. Immediately, the monster recoiled at the sight of light. Thunder hit it right at its chest and pride swelled in her. She didn't have enough time to gloat, though. Hastily, she dashed away from the monster toward the flashing lights. The sign was getting clearer, Hammerhead.

The monster roared behind her, letting her know it recovered from her assault. She felt tremors behind her in pursuit.

"Please let me make it," she begged. She raised her hand into the air. Even from the distance, she felt like her fingers could wrap around the sign, reminding her of a lighthouse that reflected light from its shores to guide boats.

Something hard impacted her right side and she found herself tumbling into the dirt like a ragged doll. Breathing harshly, she tried to move but her body refused to cooperate. The giant loomed over her. Another cry pierced the air. With little energy left, she used magic to paradigm switch into a sentinel. A forcefield curved around her figure. If the monster struck her, the shield would protect her from most of the damage, possibly from her dying too.

Her eyes closed as the iron hulk raised its sword for its last swing. Black mist began to form in front of her, taking a shape of a round creature. The shape solidified into a monster with a single plant on its head. It greatly resembled a brussel sprout except for two beady eyes, two tiny legs, and a gaping mouth. The little creature squeaked, causing Serah's eyes to pop open.

"Chichu," she whispered the name.

The creature rammed his body into the monster, making the iron hulk lose its balance. Chichu might be small but he had a lot of power backed by speed. The creature hit the monster three more times, each hit precisely damaging the fallen monster.

A soft groan was heard before a black void opened up for the iron giant. The void swallowed the monster whole.

"Good boy," Serah whispered to Chichu. She could barely lift her hand to pat her little friend.

The creature squealed cutely while jumping up and down excitedly. Then Chichu began to fade.

"No!" she shrieked.

But she was left alone, injured, only a few miles away from help.

She wondered if she was going to die again.

Her eyes drooped and she struggled with breathing in and out. If she had a potion with her, she could heal herself but she had no gil, supplies, or weapons. And she was too drained to use magic.

Light footsteps made its way to her. She didn't bother to see who they were.

"Well, what do reckon this gal is doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" an elderly voice questioned.

"I don't know paw paw. She looks badly hurt," said another distinctly female voice.

"Did ya see the way she fought off that daemon?" the first tone questioned.

"Yeah, and she survived."

"Mighty foolish of her."

"Or brave," the second voice finished. Serah felt someone tugged her but the pain became unbearable for her that she fell unconscious.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is the concluding chapter for Serah's story. She has a lot of struggles but these trials will develop her personality in the future chapters. Hopefully, this chapter explains how she came to be in Eos. These two chapters were difficult to write. The next chapter will return to Noctis' point of view.

Also, Serah will retain her fighting abilities from her world. She will have an advantage to use paradigm shift, which gives her access to the different roles that come with it and she can summon monsters from her world to aid her like Chichu or the different color chocobos. I'm really excited about using them in her future fights! However, she won't have Mog to transform into a weapon so she will have to look for weapons in Eos and what better person to help her than Cid.

Thanks for your support. Please leave a review to tell me what you think so far.


	4. Chapter 4

Noctis and the others had finally arrived at Hammerhead. After pushing Regalia the long distance, he and Prompto collapsed on the floor to gain their breath but he liked to think he did it with more dignity. Unlike Prompto who was lying face up on the floor, the prince leaned his back against the car while he wiped away the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Even Regalia felt too warm against his back. The black exterior caught too much of the sun's heat.

"I have to think about changing my wardrobe," he muttered under a harsh breath. "Black is proving be too much."

"Well, you do you have a change of clothes," Ignis replied. The adviser got out of the car. "And it might be better for you to wear it because you do attract too much attention."

"When I get a chance to find a restroom, I'll change," Noctis promised.

"How about a trailer? They have one there in the corner," Gladio pointed with his finger.

"All right, then it's settled! We're crashing indoors tonight!" Prompto cheered, or tried to cheer from the floor. Ignis's lips cracked into a small smile.

Even Gladio's dark eyes lightened with humor.

The blond sat upright at last, clutching his side. Footsteps clicked their direction and a feminine voice pitched out, "Hey there, y-all kept a girl waitin'!"

Prompto got to his feet with a look of pure awe on his face. Ignis and Gladio watched on with amusement. The prince, on the other hand, wanted to relax a bit more. That was until he heard her question.

"Now, which one's the prince?" Slowly, he rose on his feet to reveal himself to a young ash blond woman who wore little clothing.

"Aha!" She exclaimed. She made her way around the car. "Hello. Your Highness. Congrats on your wedding!"

All while watching her talk to him with familiarity he couldn't help but wonder why was she talking informally to him. In fact, how did she know he was the prince? "Not hitched just yet," he said slowly. He was waiting for an introduction.

The young woman put her hands on her hips. The little gesture brought his attention to her figure, which made him slightly uncomfortable. His gaze darted away, however, he did notice the red cap with yellow outlines. There was a logo with words "HAMMER HEAD" and "FULL SERVICE STATION" on it. She wore black goggles across her neck. If one were to scrutinize her cheeks, there was still some smudges of grease.

"Lady Lunafreya's groom-to-be, here in Hammerhead," she continued.

"Apologies for taking so long to get here," Ignis replied where words failed Noctis. Apparently, Ignis knew who the female was and forgot to fill him in. Now, he felt like a dolt.

"You best save your apologies for Paw Paw," she replied.

The prince felt like he could breathe when she turned her attention on Regalia. She moved toward the front of the car, inspecting the exterior for damage while she kept her hands firmly planted on her hips. Then as if realizing she didn't give her name, she semi-turned to stare at him and his friends. Her pale eyes casted downwards with a sudden shyness. "Cindy-Cid's grease monkey granddaughter." At the last part of her introduction, she raised her head and smiled. She pointed to herself.

"Roll 'er in while I'm still young!" an elderly voice called out, interrupting the introduction. She glanced to the elderly person walking in beside her.

Gladio and the others watched the stranger walked in as though he owned the joint.

"Didn't your daddy tell ya? She's a custom classic, not some beat-up old clunker." And he talked like he knew Regalia and his father. The old man walked behind the black car to inspect it as well.

All Noctis could do was stand among a couple of people who knew him while feeling lost.

"Prince Noctis," the old man said who turned his serious gaze to him.

"Uh, yeah," the prince answered.

"Prince. Like they took your old man and kicked the dignity out of him." The old man lowered his head so his baseball cap covered his aging face.

"What?" his blond friend questioned. Even Noctis didn't know what the old man meant by his statement.

"You got a long way to go, son. And that slack jaw's getting' nowhere fast." The old man had a point. Noctis looked to his adviser who seemed to know everything. The brunette looked comfortable.

The elder man named Cid fixed his cap to hide an expression. "She's gonna take awhile. Y'all get her in and run along."

The moment was over. He walked away and Noctis didn't have a chance to question him.

The prince noted that his granddaughter had a sad look on her face. Then she let out a sigh. "Y-all heard him! Lets get movin'." A smile instantly replaced her sadness. Again, Noctis had to wonder who were these people.

But first they had to use up their strength to push Regalia into the garage. Noctis wasn't too happy about it. He would make sure to follow up all the details of what just happened with Ignis later. He didn't like being in the dark.

Once Regalia was pushed into the garage, there was a flicker of movement in the corner, followed by a creak from the door. He could have sworn he saw pink. He was about to inspect the suspicious occurrence when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," the bodyguard motioned for him to get out the garage.

"But I thought I saw someone," Noctis pointed to the corner of the workspace.

"I don't see anything," the larger man said. "Besides, we don't want to upset Cindy."

Noctis strained his eyes to the location of the door and then shook his head. Perhaps his imagination was getting the best of him. After all, the pink haired girl he'd been seeing in his dreams wasn't real. He didn't have time to be thinking of other females when he was on his way to get Altissia to pick up his bride.

"All right," he agreed and they walked out of the garage.

As they went outside, he saw that Ignis and Prompto were waiting for him. Ignis walked to him and said, "Now we play the waiting game."

"Never liked that game," the blond man remarked. He strolled right past Noctis.

"Never been good at it either," Noctis murmured as he followed his friends. Cindy was standing by the garage so he decided to talk to her. It was, in a way, a good start to kill time.

When he approached her, she smiled at him. "You ain't never been out this way before have ya? Go on, have a look around! This'll make sure y'all don't get lost." She gave him a world map. He gladly accepted it. Then he took a look around the gas station. Hammerhead was fully equipped with all the necessities they needed. They had a restaurant for food, a shop for supplies, a truck that sold weapons, a gas station and garage. First thing first, Noctis needed money and good weapons. He went to the shady looking man waiting by a truck, who was in fact vending weapons.

"Hey, what you're after?" the seller asked him.

"How about if I sell some supplies first?" Noctis returned with a question.

"Well, let's see what you got," the man replied. Noctis showed him his supplies and noticed the phoenix down cost 500 gil each. He sold both of them and bought some good weapons that he and the others might need. Ignis put him in charge of managing their funds as part of his training for making royal decisions. The prince didn't mind the task at all. He purchased a broad sword, two war swords, two avenger daggers, and a Cocytus gun.

"A pleasure doing business," the seller finished. Noctis nodded his head and was about to make his way to the restaurant.

"A moment, Noct," Ignis called out to him. The adviser went to his side, immediately notifying Noctis that whatever he wanted to tell him was important. The brunette lowered his tone so only the prince could hear him. "We've expended the last of our funds on the repairs. I suggest we confer with Cindy."

The prince put a hand to his waist while he stood in place thinking.

"Broken down and flat broke," the blond commented. Obviously, Prompto overheard Ignis.

"Adding insult to injury." Ignis gave the blond one of his stern looks.

The prince shook his head. Already, he had to use what he learned from his royal lessons in a commoner's daily life, negotiation.

"Old man's in for both after charging us that much." Noctis didn't want to hear anymore. He walked right to Cindy who was on her way to the garage. She turned around to look expectedly at him and Ignis.

"Guess she knew we were coming, huh?"

Ignis nodded his head.

The woman put her hands on her hips. He was a few inches taller than her so she didn't have to tilt her head back much to make eye contact with him. "She ain't going to be ready for a while." The prince knew the female mechanic was referring to Regalia. "Y'all need something?"

"It's a bit steep for a tune up, don't ya think?" It was his approach for asking for a discount.

She put a gloved finger to her lip as she realized something. "Oh, now I get it. This must be what paw paw meant when he said he was gonna them boys a lesson."

Noctis took a step back. They didn't do anything to the old man and he was already trying to get them back for the prince had no idea what.

She added, "Told me he oughta have y'all take care of some ornery varmints that've been causin' a ruckus 'round here." She crossed her arms over her chest, which by the way her yellow jacket was barely covering. He could see her orange bikini, if that was what women called the scanty cloth that covered their private area. "I'd be happy to pay y'all for your services if you're up to the challenge. How 'bout it?"

His eyes darted to a yellow truck parked beside the garage. He hoped his cheeks weren't red.

"So much for finding an easy way out. Thanks a lot paw paw." His blond friend had to have the last say.

Noctis sighed.

Then Cindy did the unexpected, she gave them some money beforehand which he happily took from her. As he was about to turn away, he heard her warning. "But don't go runnin' 'round after dark. Those daemons 're liable to rip y'all to shreds. In fact, why don't y'all see Takka. He can help y'all. This stays between us. Don't tell paw paw!"

The prince nodded his head and raised his hand as a gesture of thank you. She smiled brightly before going back to deal with the royal car.

Instead of heeding her advice, to go find this Takka person, he ran straight into the open area that surrounded Hammerhead. There were little plants, dried up dirt and rocky hills all over. He simply followed a dirt pathway until he saw some pests that Cindy must have been talking about to get rid of. Instantly, he called on the ancient magic of the Lucis line and a huge sword appeared in his hand. By the looks of the pests, they were bug-like with hard shells. They had a long pointy tail that could do serious damage. Noctis needed to keep his distance from their tail. The war sword he had in hand was sharp enough to slice through their shell. With his mind made up, again Noctis reached for the magic inside him that allowed him to warp through time and space. His body dematerialized in blue dust as he headed straight for a monster. The moment his body solidified, he brought his sword down on the scorpion like creature. The first blow hit successfully, catching the creature off guard. The second time he wasn't lucky as the others started to gang up on him.

"Noctis!" Prompto called out. His blond friend pulled out his gun and aimed it at the scorpion closest to him. The others got to him and called on their weapons using magic linked to the Lucis line to help him. He was grateful that Gladio blocked an incoming blow with his war sword. The blow gave him enough time to change tactics. He summoned another weapon from his arsenal, the avengers. The daggers appeared in his hands and he began to strike at the monsters. The weapons didn't deal a lot of damage to the monsters but his attacks were quicker. However, he didn't see the attack behind him. A scorpion's tail stabbed him in the back, sending him tumbling to the ground. An "ooff" escaped him before he righted himself. The same creature was after him. Disregarding the pain, Noctis dashed to the scorpion with his daggers posed to scrape his shell. He noticed Gladio behind the creature and motioned with his eyes to attack. Noctis was going to distract the creature long enough for the larger man to slay the last monster. And their plan worked. As the prince slashed the scorpion, Gladio brought down his blade in the center of the bug, almost squishing it.

"Alright! We'll be done in no time," Prompto replied, contented with their triumph. All the training they did back in Insomnia was paying off.

They continued for the next section, looking for pests. Prompto, who was trying to fill up the silence with chatter, began talking. "So, uh, we are we headed anyway?"

"Nowhere until the repairs are done. Then we head for Galdin Quay," Ignis answered. For some reason when Ignis mentioned Galdin Quay, he recalled his first encounter with the pink haired girl. If they did really meet, she became the first friend he made, although they didn't finalize it until their second meeting.

He shook his head while he kept on running to the next destination.

"And after that, we hop on a boat, and before you know it, lover boy's hitched," Gladio continued.

Noctis didn't say anything as his bodyguard ran in front of him. Prompto joined his side. "Wait for car repairs, then wedding bells in the air. Got it!"

The prince sprinted ahead of everyone else, leaving them to follow after him. In the distance, he came up to the other varmints that Cindy talked about disposing. He and the others worked quickly. "Nice, mission complete," the bodyguard commented.

Just then, Noctis' phone began ringing. He picked up his phone to hear a feminine voice on the other end.

"Hey, it's Cindy, how goes the huntin'?"

He wanted to ask her how she got his number, after all, as a prince he didn't give his number to just anyone. But he settled with, "Actually, we just finished."

"That's great, 'cause I got one more hunt for y'all-only this time it's for a person. A fellow name Dave went off, and we ain't heard from him since. Reckon he staked out a spot in an old shack nearby."

"Old shack," the prince repeated.

There was a shack near. He could see a triangular roof peeking out by some nearby bushes. "Got it. We'll take a look."

He tapped his phone to end the call and he put his it in his pocket. He had an idea who gave the female mechanic his number and he wanted to express his displeasure with the culprit. His eyes landed on Prompto who laughed uncomfortably.

"I hope you don't mind. She needed a way to contact us," the gunner replied in his defense.

"And you couldn't give her your number?" he returned a little bit icily.

"She insisted that it's your car so it's your number she needed, not mine." Prompto waved his hands

Noctis put a hand to his forehead. He closed his eyes before inhaling a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he calmly glanced at his friend.

"So, are we good?" the blond asked carefully.

"Yeah," he said. The others around him sighed in relief. The tension in the atmosphere departed but only for a moment. He had to have a little conversation with Ignis tonight.

The prince headed for the shack that was in question of housing a person named Dave.

"So what's the next mission?" Prompto asked as he followed the prince a good distance away.

Noctis answered. "We need to find some Dave guy."

"He went missing?" the bodyguard queried.

"Not missing. She said he's holed up in that shack." But as Noctis ventured closer to the shack, he noticed something was strange. Firstly, there was a wide-open doorway. Secondly, there was no one inside. And thirdly, there was a note on a cart with the names of other monsters and bounties for killing. The prince was getting ideas of how to make money.

"Noct!" one of his friends called. Suddenly, dog like creatures covered every side of the shack they were in. "Get out of here!"

He wanted to retort about it being too late for him to run. One of the monsters collided into him, pushing him hard to the floor. Prompto bulleted the monster and rescued him in the process. Then the gunner was at his side, helping him up. In the distance, Gladio was fending off a creature who tried to jump him.

"I'm going all out!" Noctis exclaimed

"Just don't get too carried away," the bodyguard admonished him.

"You're one to talk," he retorted. He summoned his war sword and began pounding blow after blow on the monsters. His body was slowing down and Noctis predicted that when nighttime came around he was going to sleep like the dead.

The creatures were agile and they attacked as a group. They were quite intelligent, which was why he had to end the fight quickly. Prompto was trigger happy. His bullets were flying everywhere, almost hitting him and the others. However, Noctis observed that the bullets were effectively taking out each monster. They seemed to be weak against bullets.

He summoned for the other gun Prompto used before changing to Cocytus and he began firing away at the other creatures. The gun worked wonders, although it did take more rounds than the blond to take them down. Once they were all dealt with, Gladio saw another shack in the distance. "Hey, what about the shack over there?"

Noctis, following the bodyguard's observation, ran across a dirt road and jumped over a partially built brick wall. He followed along the dirty path until he came across another wooden shack that was already ambushed by the same dog like creatures he and his friends killed.

He was going to attack them when Ignis pulled him by hanging on to his trench coat. "Not yet! I have a plan."

"What is it?"

"Warp to the windmill and then wait for an opening to strike at the enemy."

Noctis nodded his head. He ran on the other side of the shack, which was uninhabited by the monsters. With the area free of danger, he warped to side of the windmill, his weapon embedded in the metal that held the windmill together. His body hung in midair as he waited for an opening. One of the monsters separated from the area and Noctis chose that time to attack. His body dematerialized as he aimed for the creature. In a flash, his body materialized and he brought down his war sword. The monster collapsed. Another one leaped on him, causing him to crash to the ground. Dirt sprinkled everywhere. He began to struggle as sharp teeth hovered over his face. Nasty drool dripped on the side of his cheek.

Gladio shoved the monster off of him with his muscular body, freeing the prince. He rolled over, got to his feet and hunched over while he gained his bearing. Then, he summoned his large sword and flung it at the creatures around him. When the fight was over, they heard a man's voice coming from the direction of the shack.

"Hey, who's out there?"

Noctis and the others went to disgruntled man who opened the shack's door. "And look who's in here-the man of the hour. Dave, right? Been looking for you."

The man was exhausted and he looked ready to fall over. "Didn't mean to cause y'all any trouble. Been stuck here on the account of my sprained ankle."

Now that Noctis got a good look at the man, he noticed how the man was heavily leaning against the doorframe or how his right hand clutched the pants material at his right leg.

"Somethin' funny about those varmints. I gave 'em hell, but couldn't finish the job. Still one mean mutt about. Y'll don't look much like hunters."

The prince crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't like the way the fellow named Dave was observing them when they just rescued him. Talk about being ungrateful.

"But whaddaya say? Put that puppy to rest for me?"

He had the urge to ask Dave for some reward but thought better of it. Someday, he might need a favor and maybe Cid could help out. Besides, he and his companions were stranded on a road and no one helped them so would it hurt to help this Dave fellow?

"Oh yeah, we'll take care of it," Noctis answered.

"Y'all got guts for sure. Lemme tell ya where I last saw him." Talk about being ungrateful, Noctis had to bite back an outburst.

"Wait, can I ask ya for one last favor?"

Noctis uncrossed his arms from his chest. He was already bone deep. He might as well accept one last mission.

Dave slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He gave it to the prince. "Give this to a hunter."

The prince took the paper from Dave. While slipping it into his trench pocket, he took his eyes off the injured man. "Does this hunter have a name?"

The man nodded his head. "Serah."

Noctis' hand stilled in his pocket. His eyes widened while his head was bent downward. "Come again," he barely said. He felt like a lump was stuck in his throat.

"Serah."

Before his friends could question his reaction, he straightened up, and pretended like nothing happened. "Yeah."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Noctis swiveled on his feet. "Way to show some spunk. Now let's get ready to kick some tail," Gladio remarked.

The prince began running back the way he came from, passing the first shack where he and the others were ambushed, but his mind wasn't fully on looking for the mutt marauder. Instead, he couldn't help but wonder about the hunter's name, Serah. If the hunter was the same Serah he met before, then what would it mean for them to be seeing each other again?

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoy this chapter. As you might notice, this story will be a canon-divergence. I'm not sure if I used the term correctly, but I'm planning on following Final Fantasy XV up to a certain point-maybe the point where Noctis and the others travel to Altissia- and then I'll greatly alter the scenes.

I looked back at the last chapter where Serah faced the iron giant by herself and I must say that iron giant is frustrating to defeat. I still have a hard time defeating him with Noctis being at level 99. So it's quite natural that Serah is unable to defeat that monster. Thus, how did Chichu beat him? Taking in a factor that Noctis can achieve over 1,000 for strength, I am taking Chichu's full level, which his strength is 1529. This little monster is a powerhouse. Not only can he deal a lot of damage, he's quick too. Chichu is Serah's trump card and he can only be summon in dire situations.

And to answer one last question to a guest reviewer, Serah is not dead. Goddess Etro is giving her a second chance persay. In fact, Serah's main mission is to really help Noctis and everything she went through before was a trial. Caius didn't do a good job with explaining Serah's reason for being in Noctis' world. But then again, he didn't give good explanations in the game either.

So what do you think so far of Noctis and Lunafreya's relationship? How do you think he's going to react when he meets Serah?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for not updating for the past few months. It's not that I forgotten about this story. This is embarrassing but I will confess what happened. I replayed Final Fantasy XV to get the story line down pat since there are so many sidequests that a player can get lost in. Umm... so like I got caught in one of the dungeons, the one with a maze. It's located off the map and you have to have the flying car to get there. Well, I crashed my car and then I got caught in the freaking time warp dungeon with no way of getting out. I gave up and I took a rest from the game, thinking I had a gameover. The good news is I didn't end my game. I continued it and I'm skipping that damn dungeon. I will live it through YouTube. So yeah, this is my embarrassing story. And the other excuse is I was trying to find the epic moment for Noctis' and Serah's encounter since many of you were looking forward to it -I hope I didn't ruin it. But if I wanted this chapter to be perfect, I may never update it and I'm not one to give up stories. There's a reason I picked my name.

Thus, I deeply apologize about the wait and I'm not planning for another long wait. Just to let you know before reading, I altered some scenes for Serah's appearance but then again, I think I did mention this story will have some AU. Thanks and enjoy. :)

* * *

The sun was beginning to set behind the rocky terrain around Hammerhead. Noctis and the gang had been on their feet all day, especially after taking on the mutts and a wild Dualhorn. They had completed a portion of the job for Dave but there was a next part for them to complete.

Noctis still had to look for a hunter named Serah and was unsure if she -considering it was a female's name- could be the same person he met as a child.

He frowned. Perhaps it was coincidence that he met a fellow who knew someone by the same name.

"A penny for your thoughts," Ignis pitched in from next to the prince. Gladio and Prompto were walking ahead of them and out of hearing range.

He stared at his two friends' backs before he sighed. "How we're going to find the hunter?"

"Dave give us a name. Perhaps, Cindy or Cid might know the whereabouts of the hunter or we get can gather information from the diner," the adviser suggested.

"The diner sounds like a good place to begin and Cindy did mention to stop there and gather some intel."

Ignis smiled a little. "Or to grab some food."

Prompto, who had lagged behind, overheard some of their conversation. "Yay!" he exclaimed, suddenly gaining energy. "Let's get some food!"

"I rather Ignis' food," a disgruntled Gladio added.

"But that means we're going to camp out tonight and after all that fighting, I'm swamped!" the blond complained.

"Then maybe you have money to rent the trailer," the big dark-haired man suggested.

Prompto shook his head but his face brightened and the prince could predict his next train of thought. "How about the money we got earlier from that beautiful Cindy? We can rent the trailer for tonight."

His high school buddy turned to him and showed him his puppy dog eyes. "Fine," Noctis sighed.

The blond jumped high in the air with a pumped fist while Ignis and Gladio shook their heads. "You spoil him too much," Ignis muttered.

"Hey, at least he's not stopping to take pictures of us yet," he returned.

"You've got a point."

Just then, the phone began ringing and Noctis picked up phone from his pocket. Sliding, his pointer finger across the screen, he put the cell phone to his ear. "Hello."

"Hey!" Cindy's voice rang out on the other side. "Just talked to Dave an' he said he's safe. Thanks for findin' him."

"About that, we haven't finished our job yet."

"That's alright. No rush. By the way the old girl's looking good as new and she'll be waiting by the garage."

"Gotcha," he replied before hanging up the phone and placing the device in his pants' pocket. His friends looked at him expectantly. "The car's ready."

"Great!" they all replied, happy to be off their feet and back in the Regalia.

"But, we have to gather intel about this Serah person," he interrupted them, making them deflate. "We still have a job to finish."

"You're right," the adviser backed up.

They made their back to Hammerhead and the prince listened to their light bickering about who would drive behind the wheel of their black car. The prince denied driving. He preferred to be in the backseat taking his usual nap.

By the time they made it back to the gas station, the sky had turned pitch black. The bright lights lit up the place, keeping the daemons at bay. The monsters were terrified of light. The diner was jam packed with visitors retiring for the night because traveling during dark hours was unsafe.

"Let's go see if the trailer is still available," Prompto jumped the gun.

Noctis exhaled a breath at his friend's impatience. "Here," he dipped into his pocket and took out some money. "See if that's enough."

The bodyguard grabbed the money without hesitation. "No problem. And you?"

"We'll scope out the diner and get some food."

The food part kicked up the corners of their lips.

"All right, see you a bit," Gladio waved. They separated. Ignis went with him, as the ash blond man took taking care of him seriously but the prince didn't mind. He got used to Ignis being around to the point that it felt natural.

People were bustling about outside, sitting on their cars or on the bench with their food. Others were gossiping with their groups. He heard some conversations about Niflheim's rule but he canceled it out. There was one particular group that discussed about daemons and it sounded interesting but the dark-haired man didn't have time to stop to eavesdrop on them.

He kept trekking his way to the diner until the doors opened.

"Welcome," a dark-skinned man with a bald head and a black beard greeted them from a behind a large counter. Noctis shoveled past the people and took a seat on one of the empty stools. Ignis sat next to him. "What can I do for you?"

Noctis, who folded his hands on the table, pointed to the menu. "Let's see what on the menu?"

"No prob." The owner gave them the menu and had Ignis scan it. The prince kept his eyes on the dark-skinned man dressed in white. From the white-apron he had on, he must have been the cook.

"Something's wrong?" the man asked him.

Noctis was having a hard time remembering the name Cindy told him. "You're…."

"Takka," Ignis replied, his eyes still on the menu.

The man named Takka hesitated. "Whose asking?"

"We are." The prince indicated to himself and his friend. "We're hoping you can share some information."

Takka wiped his hands with a cloth before putting it in his apron's pocket. He then placed both hands down on table as he waited.

"We're looking for someone named Serah."

"A hunter," Ignis added in.

"And why would I know such information?"

The prince paused.

It was his adviser who answered for him, "We were told that we can take hunter jobs here."

"But you're asking for a particular hunter."

"We need to find his/her whereabouts for a job."

Takka shook his head. "No can do. Can't help. I can mark places on the map to locate herbs, ingredients, safe havens and such and I can give you a job to begin as hunters but giving information about a hunter is a different matter."

"What if-." Noctis didn't get to finish.

"Are you going to order?" He had half a mind not to but he did promise Gladio and Prompto food so he left the ordering to Ignis while he got off the stool and walked outside the restaurant.

"I assume you didn't get the info you were looking for," a man with spiky brown hair and dressed elegantly came to stand beside him.

"Excuse me, you're…"

The man smacked his head lightly with his hand. "Pardon my rudeness. My name is Dino Ghiranze and I'm a reporter." Then, he extended his hand for the prince to shake.

Instantly, the raven head turned to walk away, leaving the man to stand awkwardly by himself. "Hold up!"

The reporter rushed past him and blocked him. "I know some intriguing info about that hunter you're looking for."

He shook his head. "Not interested."

"Seriously? You can ask all over but either no one is going answer or they know nothing."

Noctis inhaled a deep breath while raising his head to the night sky. He had a feeling he was going to regret his next reaction. "And what do you want in return for it."

Dino's lips stretched across his face. "Not much. Perhaps some money or a favor or two in exchange for what I'm about to share with you."

The raven head made a gesture with his hand. "Then lead the way."

OoO

Noctis was led to a secluded area behind the diner but the area was still bright enough to keep the daemons at bay. Taking everything in, there were stacks of crates and more parked cars. However, his eyes fell on the rocky boulders beyond the restaurant. In the distance, he could have sworn he saw little monsters with pointy ears dancing around.

"Swift and nasty little buggers," Dino remarked. "They can do a lot of damage if they get their hands on you."

"I'm not here for that," the prince said as he crossed his arms over his chest, majorly concerned for getting what he wanted.

The reporter held up his hands. "Gosh, you're so impatient."

"If you have nothing better to say, I'm leaving."

He was about to turn and depart when Dino revealed some vital intel. "Her name is Serah Farron and she arrived here two months ago."

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Now that got your attention?"

"And it depends if you can keep it."

"Okay, I understand."

The prince swiveled on his feet and stared at the man. "What else?"

"Well, you can't expect me to tell you more without some form of payment."

Noctis dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out whatever remaining money he had left. The reporter shook his head. "That's not much."

He could imagine Ignis' reaction for leaving him and the others to seek information about Serah. Since a child, he kept his encounters with her a secret to a point he forgot everything. And then he began journeying with his friends to wed Lunafreya and he started recalling his meetings with her as though they happened yesterday. Why?

He needed to see if she was real.

But to involve his friends on such a personal matter, it was asking too much.

There were some things he could do alone.

"All right," the reporter broke his thoughts. "Just owe me a favor."

"Gotcha."

"You might want to take a seat."

Noctis moved to lean causally against the wall of the diner. He crossed his arms over his chest while one foot was placed over his ankle. He bowed his head, waiting for the reporter to tell him everything.

"Two months ago, there was an incident here at Hammerhead. Witnesses reported seeing a girl fight an iron giant alone."

"But that's impossible," the raven head interjected. "They're strong and even the best hunters can't take them down without severely injuring themselves."

"Exactly," the man continued. "She was injured but she took down the monster herself."

Noctis raised his head. His eyebrows disappeared under his dark bangs.

"On top of all of it, witnesses said that she used magic."

That definitely got the prince's attention.

"Right, and if I'm reading your mind, there is no way a girl like her should have access to magic unless she's part of Kingsglaive for Lucis or is somehow related to Fleuret family in Tenebrae. And she isn't because she doesn't dress as one of them and she's been staying here as the local hunter for the past two months."

The prince stared intently at Dino. While unfolding his arms. "And why are you interested in this hunter?"

"I want to discover where she originated from and if she can use magic. I mean you should take in her appearance," Dino kept going on and on about the girl, confirming whether she was the girl he was searching for. "She has pink hair, which is very unusual. And her wounds, there's usually some sort of scar that remains after being as badly injured as she was. But there's no sign of it anywhere on her body. She healed in less than a week whereas normal people heal in three weeks."

Noctis lifted a hand under his chin, his good-looking face was lost in thought.

"Thanks," he murmured as he moved away from the person.

"Wait!" Dino extended an arm to him. "Don't you want to hear more?"

He craned his neck over his shoulder. "Unless you know where she's heading next?"

"I do."

The raven head paused. "Where?"

"To Galdin Quay. She's picking up some herbs for Takka in the diner."

"Thanks again," the prince said with a half-smile spreading on his face. Apparently, the pink-haired girl was heading to the original destination as him and his buddies. He would run into her along the way and clarify his assumptions once and for all.

He left the male standing alone behind the diner to return to the crowded area in the front. When he saw his adviser/chef/chauffeur frantically looking for him, Noctis sighed. He was in for some heavy scolding.

OoO

Since the attack two months ago, Serah spent the time duration learning about the new world she entered, Eos. Under Cid's wing, she became a hunter for Hammerhead. She explored all around The Three Valleys and The Weaverwilds exterminating monsters, attaining ingredients for Takka's meals and doing little errands. And soon she learned that her hunter jobs were no different than the ones she did with Noel and Mog.

She also heard of the wars and most of the territory belonged to the dominion of the empire Niflheim. The wars kept pushing toward Insomnia where King Regis had finally accepted a peace treaty. As soon she heard the announcement on the radio, Noctis Lucis Caelum accepted the proposal to marry Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, her hopes shattered to meet the guy who plagued her dreams.

And then the most unexpected thing happened. Noctis and three other men pushed a black fancy car to Hammerhead. She instantly recognized him with his black spiky hair, his choice of clothing and his striking appearance. She definitely owed Cindy a huge favor for keeping them busy while she snuck past the item store to get to the diner. There, she begged sweet Takka to give her a job. She wanted to travel far away from Hammerhead as soon as possible. The owner complied.

That was how she found herself at Vannath Coast. She spent the night at Vennough Haven. She picked up some aegir roots and green peas for Takka and was about to return when a phone call to him changed her mind. He convinced her to check out the beauty of Vannath Coast before coming back home. Of course, she couldn't say no to him.

She was glad she agreed. The beach along with the piers was extraordinary. She had viewed the beach before but not on the scale of what she was witnessing now. The sand was so bright and sparkly that it hurt her eyes. The water was so crystal clear, she could see the sand on the bottom. Serah wished she had her bikini with her. At least she could have enjoyed some bathing.

There was a very magnificent hotel called Galdin Quay. It was a place to get massages, enjoy fancy seafood dishes, and stay in a luxurious room for one night. Serah would love to spend a night but ten thousand gil was too pricey. Perhaps, if she had the money that she, Noel, and Mog earned from the other world, she could have easily afforded it but that type of currency meant nothing in this world.

She could try to imagine it.

She continued to explore the area. Lachryle Haven was located on one corner of the beach, opposite Galdin Quay. There was a place to fish, which she had yet to try, and another place to stock up on potions. For now, she was fortunate not use any of her potions since this mission didn't call for her to fight any creatures.

On the other side of Galdin Quay was a great place to find items to sell for a small fortune. There was an exquisite view of the ocean with the side of the hotel and some palm trees that gave Serah enough sense of peace. She sat down, the hot sand cushioning her bottom. Her hands dug into the grains, appreciating the warmth. She could taste the salt water in the air.

Laughter bubbled in the distance. A couple were seated on the beach not far from her, enjoying a nice day.

It made her miss traveling with company. Although Cindy accompanied her at times with some missions, Serah did most of them herself. Cindy had the garage to run.

She picked up a handful of sand, opening her hand face up and watched as the grains slipped between her fingers in fascination. She was caught up with her action that she didn't notice a long shadow beside her.

"I apologize for disturbing you miss," a smooth and overly polite male's voice interrupted her.

Serah quickly dusted the sand from her hand before turning her head to look at a rather tall and eccentric looking man. His face was round and aged followed by unkept plum colored hair. He wore a long trench coat with scarves of an interesting design over both his shoulders. Why would he wear such heavy clothes in a hot place?

"I couldn't help but notice you sitting here alone," he continued. His dark eyes were staring strangely at her.

"I'm alright," Serah assured him, hoping that he would leave.

He glanced away from her and watched the sparkling sea. "It's quite a sight isn't it?"

"Ah, umm… yes," she responded.

"Is it your first time in this area?" he asked.

She frowned at him. "Why do you ask?"

A smile slithered across face, causing her to shudder in fear. There was something off about him. "You have this look of awe on your face."

"Well, I've been here before but it was long ago."

"Really?"

Realizing that he wasn't going anywhere, Serah stood up and dusted the sand off her clothes. She wore a similar outfit to the one she had in the other world, a short tang top that exposed her flat stomach, a pair of shorts, a pouch fastened around her right thigh and knee-high boots. Her whole attire consisted of black since hunters wore the color to identify themselves to one another.

"I have to go," she finished lamely.

"I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself." He bowed in a gentlemanly fashion. "My name is Ardyn. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Serah began stepping back slowly while using her thumb to point over her shoulder. "I really have to go."

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

"Ah… you don't need to know my name."

"It's not nice not to introduce yourself when someone has shared their name with you."

She shook her head. "I didn't ask for your name."

He clasped his hands behind him as he doubled his steps for every step she retreated from him. "If I tell you my name, will you leave me alone?"

He raised his dark eyebrows. "Isn't that being overly rude?"

She shook her head.

"Oh, you see, this is why you're alone."

"I'm not alone, exactly."

"Really?" He tilted his head at her.

"Yes."

He raised his hands in the air to motion around him, his moves exaggerated. "I don't see anyone else with you."

"That's because…." She stopped as she looked at the couple throwing water at each other. They seemed not to see them. She switched her attention to the parking lot and the people walking through it. A breath escaped her and her eyes widened. Was it just a coincidence or did a black car pull into the parking lot. Four masculine figures exited the car, closing the door on each side while talking to each other.

"I'm waiting for them," she pointed. The strange man named Ardyn turned to the direction she showed him.

"Oh, I see. Do they know where to find you?"

"Umm… no." She wasn't a good fibber but she had to try to convince him otherwise.

"Do they know your name?"

Serah shook her head.

Again, he raised his dark eyebrows at her and she found herself reasoning with him. "They're hunters like me and we're suppose to meet here for a job."

Ardyn had an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Why don't you hail them over?"

"Better yet, I'll go to them." And the one person she was trying to evade was the one who could help her get rid of the odd man who glided calmly behind her. A smirk graced his thin lips.

All four males ran across a long pier that led to Galdin Quay. Her footsteps hurried across the sand until she could hear thuds on the wooden planks. Her sight was set on Noctis' back. She could see his long black trench coat fluttering in the wind. His raven hair flew in all directions as he passed a hand through it. The other three figures gathered around him, unconsciously protecting him.

He was almost in her reach. Her hand extended outward, a breath of air went into her lungs and then she felt like she crashed into a wall of bricks. She found herself on her back, looking up at a large and intimidating man.

"Wow, watch where you're going?"

"Gladio, I can't believe you just did that," a blond guy told the larger man. "You just knocked down a lady."

"I thought she was a threat," the man defended as he glanced at the shorter guy.

"Wait, move aside," a familiar voice interrupted the pair. And then Noctis was standing before her, his eyes widening at the sight of her. Instantly, he held out a hand to her.

She hesitated before taking his hand. A tingling sensation spiraled up her arm as she clasped her hand with his calloused one. The moment she was on her feet, he didn't let go. They just stared at each other. For her, she was wondering if she was really seeing him.

"You know this lady?" Ignis' question broke their trance. The prince was the first one to let her go while he stepped back feeling embarrassed.

"Pardon my intrusion," the creepy man interrupted them. Serah pivoted on her feet, making enough distance between him and her. Noctis who noticed her retreat, moved to stand in front of her. As much as she wanted to get rid of the man, she felt bad for using them. She peered at Noctis' side.

The smile grew wider on the man's face. "Ah, I see you've acquainted yourself with them."

"What of it?" the big man was the one to take a step before the prince and her.

"I was trying to help the little lady," Ardyn nonchalantly said.

"She doesn't need your help anymore."

"Well, that's quite discourteous of you. Here I thought people had manners when someone offered them help."

"How about you keep your thoughts to yourself?"

The creepy man looked away from them before his eyes landed on the prince and her. Serah did her best not to shiver from fear. "I hope your job doesn't require you to travel by boat."

"Why?" the prince asked.

"The boat won't take you forth." He turned away from them.

Noctis was the one to walk toward the odd man, putting out his hand when his big friend tried to intervene. "What's your story besides trying to help the lady here?"

Ardyn turned back to face them. "I'm an impatient traveler, ready to turn ship." His voice lowered but Serah somehow still heard him. "The ceasefire is getting us nowhere."

Then, his fingers uncurled and he tossed an object at the prince. The big, burly man caught it right in front of the prince's face. "What's this? Some souvenir?" he questioned, his voice deeper. Serah had the feeling that he was more like the prince's protector since he was quick to defend him.

The others looked at it.

"They make those?"

"A coin."

"Consider it your allowance," Ardyn gestured to the coin.

The big dark haired-man strolled forward, appearing intimidating. "Yeah, and whose is allowing us?"

The strange man raised his hands into the air while backing up. "A man of no consequence," he answered. Gracefully, he swiveled on his feet and began moving away from them.

"He gives me the creeps," Serah commented.

"I agree with you on that," the blond said to her. "By the way do you think what he said is true? Is the port closed?"

The man with the glasses made his way toward the deck where the boats were located. "I'm skeptical but I won't discount the possibility. I say let's check for ourselves."

The others went ahead but Noctis stayed back. "Ummm… Aren't you going to join them?" Serah asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable around him. She focused her attention on her feet, stubbing the toe part of her shoe against the deck.

"I have this feeling that if I leave here, I won't be seeing you again," he simply answered but his response was the truth. The moment he left her, Serah had made plans to flee from him.

"What gives you such a strange idea?"

"Seeing how you're the one unable to look at me."

Her eyes widened as she raised her head at him.

A grin displayed on his good-looking face, almost taking her breath. "That's much better."

He had not only changed in appearance but in personality as well. He seemed more confident and was accustomed to talking to chicks. Instantly, she frowned. Of course, he was used to chatting to females. He was going to get married. Feeling stupid, she shifted her head to the side.

"And now you turn away from me."

"I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

"Really?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I heard from a reliable source that you were here for two months."

She looked at him again. Her eyebrows tugging together. "Where did you hear that from?"

He slightly shook his head. "Don't go changing the topic."

"I'm not!" she protested.

He stepped closer to her, making her move back. Her footsteps matching his every step until she hit one the poles holding up Galdin Quay. There was a determined expression on his face as he closed the distance between them. She could feel his breath waft heatedly across her cheeks as his blue eyes sparkled at her.

"You were here for two months and not once did you come to see me. Why?"

She opened her mouth and found that her vocal cords failed her. Her cheeks reddened as her eyelashes lowered.

"And now, you're the shy one."

Her lashes lifting, she placed both hands on his chest, instantly regretting her maneuver. He had a hard chest, one she tried to push with some good strength but he wasn't budging from his spot.

"I won't move, Serah." His words whispered across her face and she had to fight urge to close her eyes and quiver at the way he said her name. She never met someone who made her feel weak. Her knees buckled. "Not unless you give me a good reason for not visiting me."

And with those words, all sensible thoughts abandoned her.


End file.
